Chalk another one up for the power of mobile and social media – our love affair with our phones and our Facebook accounts has changed not only the ways we interact in real-life relationships, but also the ways we end them.

In a survey released last week, Internet and mobile security software provider AVG Technologies found that out of 4,000 women in Canada, the U.K., the U.S., France, Germany and Brazil, more than 50 per cent of them said they either have or would consider breaking up with a significant other over the phone. More than a quarter of them said they would cut a partner loose by text message.

(Image: AVG Technologies)

While a solid 61 per cent of the women who would use the phone to end a relationship were between the ages of 18 to 25, almost half of women between 45 to 54 said they would do the same. Nineteen per cent of women in the 18 to 25 age range would also dump their partner by using Facebook, and 38 per cent said they would make the break by texting.

With its “Love, Relationships and Technology” survey, security vendor McAfee Canada is warning amorous Canadians to be wary of sharing more than their hearts with their paramour. The danger is, should the love

Nearly 35 per cent of them said they used social media to check out potential dates before going out with them. The women reported using social networks to check out pictures, mutual friends, common interests and comments.

Among Canadians, 81 per cent of respondents said they were in long-term relationships. Only six per cent of Canadian women surveyed said they would dump someone through email, although 51 per cent said they’d forgo sex for a week rather than give up their mobile device. Only France, Germany and Canada reported figures above the 50 per cent line for that category.

Candice is a graduate of Carleton University and has worked in several newsrooms as a freelance reporter and intern, including the Edmonton Journal, the Ottawa Citizen, the Globe and Mail, and the Windsor Star. Candice is a dog lover and a coffee drinker.